Name

Carbon Waters

Legal name

Carbon Waters

Website

https://carbon-waters.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Advanced Materials

NAICS

Carbon and Graphite Product Manufacturing (335991)

SIC

Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890)

akta.pro primary industry

Functional Carbon Fillers (Carbon Black, Graphite) (IMAEAFAO)

Keywords

• Graphene performance additives
• Industrial graphene dispersions
• Liquid phase graphene
• Advanced materials manufacturing
• Specialty nanomaterials

Headquarters

HQ city

Pessac

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Graphene-based performance additives (direct B2B): Carbon Waters generates revenue by designing, developing, and selling graphene-based performance additive products directly to industrial manufacturers. Products are sold as ready-to-use dispersions or pre-formulated additive concentrates. The company also develops custom formulations on a project basis with clients, testing performance and transferring/integrating products into the customer's final material or coating. Revenue is primarily from product sales of the Graph'Up range and bespoke graphene dispersion solutions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Carbon Waters designs, develops and manufactures ready-to-use, pre-dispersed graphene-based performance additives (Graph'Up range) sold directly to industrial manufacturers for use in coatings, composites, polymers, and electronics. The company also develops custom graphene dispersion formulations with clients, performs performance testing, and transfers products into the customer's final material through a project-based B2B engagement model. Its additives address oxidation resistance, mechanical reinforcement, thermal management, and conductivity/optimization applications.

Product overview

Carbon Waters offers the Graph'Up range of ready-to-use, pre-formulated graphene-based performance additives for industrial applications. The portfolio consists of four distinct product lines—Graph'Up Oxi (for oxidation/corrosion protection), Graph'Up Force (for mechanical reinforcement), Graph'Up Preserv (for protective coatings), and Graph'Up Optim (for performance optimization)—each targeting different material enhancement properties. Produced via a proprietary chemical exfoliation process that yields stable, homogeneous liquid-phase graphene dispersions, these additives are designed to integrate into a wide range of matrices and are compatible with standard industrial manufacturing processes. The company also provides custom formulation development and performance testing services alongside its standard product offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Graph'Up: The Graph'Up product range comprises ready-to-use graphene-based performance additives: Graph'Up Oxi, Graph'Up Force, Graph'Up Preserv, and Graph'Up Optim. These additives enhance thermal and mechanical reinforcement, energy efficiency, and longevity of materials and coatings.
• INFINIMAT

Products and services

• Graph'Up Oxi Graph'Up Oxi is a ready-to-use, pre-dispersed graphene-based performance additive designed for oxidation resistance applications in industrial materials and coatings. It enables manufacturers to integrate liquid-phase graphene directly into formulations without surfactants or additional processing, delivering oxidation and corrosion protection for downstream products.
• Graph'Up Force Graph'Up Force is a ready-to-use, pre-dispersed graphene-based performance additive designed for mechanical reinforcement applications in industrial materials, composites, and coatings. It allows manufacturers to incorporate liquid-phase graphene to enhance the mechanical strength and durability of their final materials without surfactants or post-processing.
• Graph'Up Preserv Graph'Up Preserv is a ready-to-use, pre-dispersed graphene-based performance additive formulated for protective coating applications. It supports manufacturers in delivering barrier, anticorrosion, and protective performance in coatings through direct integration of liquid-phase graphene dispersions.
• Graph'Up Optim Graph'Up Optim is a ready-to-use, pre-dispersed graphene-based performance additive designed for performance optimization in industrial applications, including thermal and electrical conductivity enhancements. It enables manufacturers to incorporate graphene functionality into formulations without additional processing steps.
• Custom Graphene Formulation & Performance Testing Services A project-based service offering covering the design, development, and performance testing of bespoke graphene dispersion formulations tailored to individual industrial customer requirements, including technology transfer and integration of the graphene additive into the customer's final material or coating. Intended for industrial manufacturers with specialized application needs beyond standard Graph'Up products.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30% weight reduction in aerospace coatings, resulting in 113 tonnes of CO2 savings and cost reduction of several million euros per year for a medium-sized airline
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Safic-AlcancoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSafic-Alcan and Carbon Waters announced a strategic partnership in 2024 to enhance anticorrosion paint formulations with cutting-edge graphene dispersions. Safic-Alcan, as a specialty chemicals distributor, distributes Carbon Waters' graphene products in the paints and coatings market.
• AD Industries CompositescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAD Industries collaborated with Carbon Waters on developing heat-conducting graphene-enriched adhesives for energy-dissipating composite assemblies in space applications. The project was supported by CNES. Hugues Lemaire, Technical Manager at AD Industries, noted graphene concentration of just 2% achieved significant thermal conductivity improvements.
• UnikalocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnikalo collaborated with Carbon Waters to develop a high-performance water-based anticorrosion paint using graphene dispersion. After testing various graphene types on the market, Unikalo selected Carbon Waters' technology for its superior incorporation and results, surpassing powdered graphene alternatives.
• SafrancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSafran, through its Corporate Venture arm and nacelles division, collaborated with Carbon Waters on a functional graphene-enriched paint project for nacelle coatings. Pierrick Brenot (Open Innovation Manager) and Davi Silva de Vasconcellos (Project Pilot, Safran Nacelles) participated in INFINIMAT 2022 to present the collaboration results.
• Poclain HydraulicscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPoclain Hydraulics collaborated with Carbon Waters on integrating graphene into hydraulic fluids to increase conductivity and improve heat exchange within components. Nicolas Weber, Head of Physics and Functional Design Group at Poclain, described the collaboration as very successful and noted ongoing discussions to broaden the scope.
• ArianeGroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArianeGroup carried out multiple projects with Carbon Waters to evaluate graphene technology for material functionalization. Philippe Briant from ArianeGroup's R&T Directorate noted the great professionalism of Carbon Waters' teams and high-quality technical proposals.
• European MACRAMÉ Program (Horizon Europe)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince December 2023, Carbon Waters has been part of the European MACRAMÉ project, a 3-year initiative with 19 partners (academia, industry, laboratories) funded by Horizon Europe. The program focuses on evaluating health and environmental risks of advanced nanoparticles including graphene, carbon nanotubes, and graphene oxide throughout the product lifecycle. Carbon Waters contributes its graphene dispersions for testing and evaluates graphene-enriched varnish for battery enclosures.
• European EUROSTARS3 NLTNS ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCarbon Waters is a partner in the EUROSTARS3 NLTNS (Next Leading Thermal Nano Solution) project, addressing improved thermal management of electronic control units (ECUs) in electric and hybrid vehicles. The project focuses on efficient heat dissipation technologies for next-generation vehicles.
• CNES (Centre National d'Études Spatiales)minorOthersThe French National Centre for Space Studies (CNES) supported the collaboration between AD Industries and Carbon Waters on heat-conducting graphene-enriched adhesives for space applications.
• ESA BIC (European Space Agency Business Incubation Centre)minorOthersCarbon Waters was integrated into the ESA BIC program, supporting the development of space-related graphene applications.
• StarburstminorOthersStarburst is an international aerospace and space startup incubator that selected Carbon Waters in its Top 3 at an investor event and engaged in discussions about further support including connections with industrialists and investors.
• TemasolminorOthersTemasol is conducting a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Carbon Waters' graphene production process as part of the MACRAMÉ program, quantifying environmental impacts throughout the production and use phases.
• Aerospace ValleyminorOthersCarbon Waters joined the Aerospace Valley competitiveness cluster, marking a milestone in its development activities in the aerospace and space sectors.
• France Industrie (Tech Factory)minorOthersFrance Industrie, through its Tech Factory program, supports Carbon Waters as an industrial startup. Jean-Philippe Thierry, Director of Innovation and Industry of the Future at France Industrie, participated in INFINIMAT 2022 to present the Tech Factory support program.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• First Graphene: Australian graphene producer with commercial products in composites, coatings, and energy storage. Established, scaled graphene producer comparable as an incumbent in the same materials space.
• Cabot Corporation: Global specialty chemicals and performance materials company, largest carbon black producer. Adjacent incumbent whose carbon black additives compete in many of the same paints, coatings, and polymer applications targeted by graphene additives.
• Talga Group: Australian vertically integrated graphite mining and graphene producer supplying battery anodes, coatings, and composites. Broader incumbent integrating upstream graphite with graphene end-products.
• NanoXplore: Canadian publicly listed large-scale graphene producer supplying plastics, coatings, and battery customers. Broader incumbent with larger capacity and broader product portfolio than Carbon Waters.

Direct peers

• Graphenea: Spanish producer of graphene materials and dispersions serving electronics, biomedical, and industrial applications. Closely comparable as a European graphene specialist offering multiple graphene formats (films, powders, dispersions) to industrial and academic customers.
• Applied Graphene Materials: UK-based producer of graphene nanoplatelets and dispersions sold into coatings, composites, and polymers. Direct peer competing in graphene additives for paints and industrial materials.
• Directa Plus: Italian graphene nanoplatelet producer with own production capacity and commercial products in textiles, composites, and environmental applications. Comparable European graphene specialist scaling from lab to industrial volumes.
• Vorbeck Materials: US-based graphene producer with applications in conductive inks, composites, and anti-corrosion coatings. Directly comparable in product format (graphene dispersions/additives) and target end-markets including paints/coatings and polymers.
• Haydale Graphene Industries: UK-listed company selling functionalized graphene and other nanomaterials into composites, coatings, and battery applications. Direct peer in graphene-based performance additives for industrial end-users.

Others

• Birla Carbon: World's largest carbon black manufacturer and Aditya Birla Group subsidiary supplying rubber, plastics, and coatings industries. Adjacent incumbent in functional carbon fillers who could enter or compete in graphene-enhanced additives.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CarbonWaters
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/carbon-waters

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Carbon Waters